Phantom Orange
by Aureux
Summary: When Reborn is sent to train Tsuna much of Iemitsu's information was wrong. Not only did Nana and Tsuna move, but it appears as if they practically fell off the map. Luckily Reborn has a place to stay with the Arcobaleno as he tries to figure out what is going on. But peace is a hard-fought thing to gain and secrets have their own ways of coming alive where you least expect them..
1. Chapter 1

Hi hi. I am finally back at some writing again. In order to warm up and get back into the swing of things, I decided to work on a ghost story styled fanfiction in KHR. I took some inspiration from another that I have found floating around and while the beginning may be similar, the plot will very much be it's own thing.

I have no beta so any mistake are my own. I apologize ahead of time for any errors in grammar and spelling.

I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. If I did, Tsuna would have realized that he is in too deep that even if he decided not to be Decimo he would still certainly have mafia coming after him either wanting him in their famiglia or wanting to kill him for the power he possesses.

* * *

A deep bone-weary sigh slipped through Luce's lips as her dark blue eyes slid over the various listings of houses within and around Namimori. There were so many, but most were in crammed suburbs or "first time homes" that were practically little more than shack-like ranches that just barely met the definition of a house. Everything she found was either too small to be able to fit the amount of people she had planned on staying with her or too close to neighbors that would surely clash or wilt with all the volatile personalities of her companions.

It needed to be bigger, a borderline mansion or the like that at least had a large amount of land for renovations. Money mattered little to her or her odd Family. All they wanted was a good home that they could escape away from their dark lifestyle, if only for a little while. Following the example of one Vongola Primo, they found their eyes set upon the sleepy area that made up Namimori and its sister towns. If all went well maybe their little family would find some semblance of the same peace the great ancestor of the Vongola did all those years ago.

For Luce, she was a retired mafia boss from the Giglio Nero famiglia with all her attention taken by this new family that was thrust upon her. Others would have been at least a little annoyed at the sudden and outrageous group that she found herself roped into leading. But she was the leader for a reason. Rather than being enraged, she took this all in stride and was quick to begin to set up accommodations for them in near every major country and continent. Though after one particularly bad bought in Italy and the chance of all the other already built homes being compromised from it they all agreed to abandon and destroy the other once. Hence here she was, looking for a new home base to set up in one of the most peaceful places known where oddity was likely to be overlooked.

She still kept in touch with her sister who had taken over for her. After all it was Aria who had so gracious offer to oversee the work rebuilding the Arcobaleno base in Italy. It was upon insistence from one Reborn that lead to her choosing to keep the base in Italy and let it act as a scapegoat.

"GRAH!" With a deep huff she shoved all the offending papers off of her desk before taking that chance to nurse in between her eyes with gentle fingers. She had been looking and reading for hours, but nothing fit. It was either too small or too closely packed. Luce couldn't stand to read any longer after the words decided to abandon their place on the paper and begin dancing in the air.

She called up some people, a handful of her most trusted connections, but there wasn't anyone that could help her. There was nothing on the market that would work. But she was persistent. She wasn't one to give up from just a little setback. If Luce would let something so stupid as house shopping beat her then she had no right to lead the "World's Strongest" Arcobalenos.

Raising from the chair she had slumped into, Luce made her way to the secure phone handing on the wall. It was time for **that**. Her last ditch effort.

Dialing a number she had memorized from the nights she had agonized on whether to call or not, she finally pushed away all of her reservations. Shady history or not, she needed a house and this was the last place she could think to look.

"Ah mmm, hello?"

 **["Luce-chan? Is that you!?"]**

"Yes it is me. It's been awhile, huh?"

 **["You are telling me, hon. You aren't one for social calls when busy. So I take it either the house hunt is going great or you are desperate."]**

"Yeaaahh well about that.. Do you possibly have any listings for large houses? Possibly out of the way and bordering any forest?" Luce struggled to keep the desperation out of her voice as she clung the receiver as a life-line.

 **["You are in luck. I think we might have a place available that fits just that. Hold on a minute and I will check out database…"]**

The bluenette could hardly keep her patience as she heard the muffled typing of a keyboard on the other end of the line. She was so close, oh so close, to the goal she had been pursuing for a month. And here this woman was, dangling the possibility of finally finding what she was looking for like a fisherman casts there bait. And Luce couldn't help but be hooked immediately.

 **["Mmm yeah it is right here. It was just cleared today. The woman who owned the house up and left, washing her hands of the property a good two years ago. She didn't even pack up her furniture. She simply left the keys with the government and told them to do what they like with it. If you want, you can come by my office tomorrow to grab the keys to check it out," A whistle is heard. "It is pretty big, able to fit roughly ten people. I wonder what a single woman was doing with such a large house… Erm anyway the amount of land you have is also big so if you need to make it bigger for some reason. It's all surrounded by woods so privacy is a plus. Cost though… not so much."]**

Luce couldn't help the manic grin that lit her face. Finally, after so many days spent face first in a stack of listing papers, she had been able to find something that sounded like it would fit wonderfully. She immediately darted across the room to her desk to retrieve a pen, clutching the device against her ear and laughing like a mad woman.

"Yes! I'll come by tomorrow morning to get the keys for sure!"

And as the other woman continued to chirp on the other line, Luce could hardly find it in herself to care. Finally, things were turning around in her favor. Her instincts were singing happily as she found herself daydreaming about the possibilities..

In the morning she had been hard pressed to wait until a reasonable time to make her trek out to her contact's office. It took everything she had to sit there and quietly drink coffee as she waited for the clock to strike 9.

It was worth it though. All it took was just one measly look so see that the house was perfect.

The house was a wonderful architectural monstrosity that seemed equal parts weird and equal parts charming. Completely built of a sturdy brick and stone, it stood tall and proud. The walls and basic shape screamed of Victorian inspiration, but it seemed the whoever built it wasn't immune to the charms of Japanese architecture. These little touches shown through in the large bay windows built from smaller glass panes separated by wood strips, through the elegant inward curving slant of the roof, through the thinner and more abundant columns. Almost as if afraid that the Japanese styles were almost too favored, a small addition hung out of the side, topped with a cupola wrapped in the same patched-together bay windows.

Around it wrapped a slightly elevated deck made completely of thick slabs of stone of the same type as the stoned path that lead to the doorway. It overlooked the garden that clung to its edges filled with various types of shrubbery, herbs, and simple but fragrant flowers.

The street was a good distance in front of the house, close enough for cars but far too distant to warrant walking up without surely being noticed. As if to add to the insurance a good 4-meter-wide creek ran along the road, bisecting the front of the property and making a sort of border. A strong bridge covered the gap where the driveway would be to allow cars past, but other than that someone would be hard pressed to cross it.

Flanking all the other sides were stretches trees and occasional fields were the treeline seemed to momentarily recede. The lack of fense gave perfect access to the land and the forest, but Luce didn't kid herself into thinking they altered the safety any. If anything it aided it by increasing visibility.

Behind the house there was two sheds and a large four-car garage with a large open carport that could be used for more cars. Along it were faint painted lines that echoed its past use in games or other sports.

Satisfied that she had seen everything outside that she needed to see so far, Luce went straight to the door and unlocked it. As she pushed it open, the door creaked slightly from disuse and sent dust motes dancing. There was a thick scent of musk coming from its abandonment, but a little bit of cleaning and opening of the windows would fix that right up.

A large staircase was to the side, leading to the second floor, and the room next to it was a large living room. From there, the kitchen was right behind with a dining room attached as well. A hallway was between the stairs and the other rooms, connecting to each and every place. Luce continued to look around at each and every place carefully, her mind whirling with plans to make this house her own.

The furniture that was within complimented the room perfectly, the colors matching just right, and the kitchen had almost an insane amount of utensils, some of which she didn't even know the use for.

Behind the stairs was another large room that looked almost like a den of sorts with two sets of two bedrooms flanking either side of it. In between each of the two bedrooms there was a shared private bathroom and next to the kitchen was a public one. Along the way, she stopped at a single door that seemed to be place almost randomly along the wall. Curious, Luce twisted the doorknob gently and pushed it open, revealing the stairs to the basement. The stairs seemed to be swallowed after a few steps into dark and she patted along the side of the wall to find the light switch. Flicking it on, she was disappointed that nothing happened.

"Ah, that's right. There's no electricity. Oh well," Luce pouted, one to flinch as suddenly the lights began to flicker on. "Or there is…"

Leaning as far as she dared on the top of the steps, she looked at the solid cement room whose sides were oddly scorched with what looked like the remnant of flames. She couldn't help the sudden feeling of unease and with it in hand she quickly shut off the light and closed the door, happy to leave the exploration of the houses underground area for another day.

A little further clinging just inside the kitchen was a backdoor that lead to the outside. Through the window that topped it she could see the backyard or what consisted of one. It was just more than a large pond that was ringed in vibrant weeping trees of willow and sakura.

Opening the door, she took a quick peek to the side and saw another porch area with an open-wood grill ringed by a multitude of chairs where people could sit in the shade.

"Okay so if we make the den into a bedroom, we'll have nine bedrooms. And that basement could be used for Verde's experiments. Not to mention all the land that Lal and Colonello can train in… and we could even maybe set up a shooting range on that carport… Fon will probably enjoy the atmosphere and practice near the pond," She couldn't help but mumble as she calculated it all in her head.

This time, she went upstairs to the second floor to investigate the rest of the place. There, at the top, she found a large open space that had a split hallway going through the middle of it. A couch and stand with a television were at the center and seemed to sum up the bulk of the room, leading Luce to happily go to the left to investigate, finding two bedrooms with conjoined bathrooms. On the right, it was the same, but at the end of the hall was a door that lead to a thin spiral staircase which lead up into a large open room that made up the cupola.

"Well now Viper has a place to work.. Oh, this is perfect! I will call Minami and get this place right away!" As she walked out of the room, fingers dancing across the keys off her cellphone she didn't notice the door she left open shutting on its own. Nor did she notice the light breeze that trailed her like a puppy through the house.

It took little more than a week for her things along with the other Arcobaleno's items to be put away. Luce couldn't help the small pang of sadness when she thought of how unlikely it was for any of the home's other residents to be here soon. It would likely take at least another week for even one to arrive, if not more. It all depended on what they were busy working on.

When it had finally finished, the first time she stepped into the place that first thought that greeted her was that everything looked perfect, just the way she'd wanted it. It had the right colors, the right amount of lighting both from the sun and fixtures, and even the right amount of couches that would fit everyone if they all decided to head into one place.

Luce couldn't help but squeal happily as she pranced around the house to do any of her last minute anal touches. Only when there was nothing left to rationally move or fix had she sat down into the living room to relax. Her fingers searched for the TV remote and she gladly switched on the device. With no knowledge of what was on she flipped through the various programs, searching for something to catch her interest.

Lulled into the click of the remote and the flicker of life through the TV, her thoughts calmed and slowly the bluenette slunk deeper and more boneless into the sofa. Just as her eyes began to relax into a half-lidded expression there was a loud bang followed by the sound of someone running down the stairs.

Immediately, the woman gasped, snapping to attention and turning to see who was there. Luce's careful eyes traced for any signs of a person being there, head cocked and listening. Nothing. There was nothing there.

Just as she was about to settle back and continue watching, a series of thuds upstairs kept her alert. It took her hardly a moment to slip her finger into the gap in the couch cushion and wrap her slender fingers around the shape of a gun. Even less effort was exerted as she brandished the weapon as though it was as natural as breathing.

Steady steps, she walked up the stairs with the safety off and ready to shoot first and ask questions later. Pausing on the landing to take one more breath in preparation, she finished heading up in one quick motion, thrusting her arm out to keep the gun ready and in front of her.

Nothing. It was dead silent. But she wouldn't let that fool her. She continued this for each and every room. And every room had the same outcome. There was nothing there. No possibility of another person being there. Nothing disturbed. Just completely still as if she had imagined the other thing.

Luce couldn't help but stand in the middle of the branching hallways, dumbstruck. Too add insult to injury, a sudden wind ran across her back, bring with her the phantom sensation of a reassuring pat done with feather-like gentleness. Suppressing a shiver that went down her spine, Luce turned back to the stairs to head down and decided to push the incident away.

After all, it was an older house…

Or was it?


	2. NOTE!

Okay I am busy with school, possibly work soon, and two rp sites. But that doesn't give me the excuse of not updating at least once a month. For that I apologize. I am finally back into writing frequently. It may be slow at first, but I want to set myself up to at least update two stories a month. If nothing else, two 2,000+ word chapters I should be able to manage considering I can fabricate multiple 500 word posts in a day.

With that said, I may not do the same stories or update it like clockwork. But unless I set myself up to update two, I will procrastinate. I know this about myself. I am bad for it.

So for those who are curious, here is my update list:

 **Midas** \- To live or to die. Everyone has a desire to live, but sometimes it would be better to simply remain dead. It is often said that the greatest gifts have the worst of prices. To live or to be alive, the double-edged sword of humanity. As fickle as immortality's rank as a gift or a curse. One thing is for sure... gifts, while freely given, aren't always freely received. Pride!Ed

 **Choice and Consequence** \- When Almedha realizes her child is pure Laguz and not Branded, her mistakes come back to bite her. By making a deal with the devil (Izuka) she manages to hide the child's true power, but it only caused more problems for the assumed Branded. Now Soren has all but hit his peak of growth and the time comes for him to learn the truth. Where will it leave him?

 **The Fate of Shadows** \- Rajaion is dead. Ashnard escaped at the last minute. Amid the mercenaries he recognized someone that he never expected to see again. New plans are made and all is seemingly lost. Can the heroes escape this turn of events when one of the enemies is a twisted shell of their irreplaceable tactician? Can Ike organize a rescue mission? Or will he be saved by Soren's parting gift?

 **Truth in the Black** \- (A planned re-write of my most popular story, the True Bloodstained Black Rabbit)

For those not on the list, I have a little something else planned...

 **Phantom Orange** is going to be taken down and possible editted/replaced. It will be worked on and hopefully be finished in time for Halloween.

 **Daemonium Pacisor Mercy** is going to be absorbed into a story I have been plotting out for a while. It follows the similar idea of demons and summoning, but it is a different take on it.

 **Only Noise** was an attempt that got swallowed up into nothingness. It will likely not be updated.

 **Seven Seconds** has been thrown onto the back burner until further notice and may join Daemonium Pacisor Mercy on the revamp stage depending on my mood/muse.

 **Arc of Nothings** was a strange story inspired by an even stranger dream and I honestly can say I don't see it going anywhere.

 **The Heart of Pandora's Wonderland** was a surreal take on the story that I will likely shove into the corner as most of it came to me when I was in a very strange mental state.

I also plan on eventually investing in writing my first crossover story, I just have to wait until I get into this set-up more. Anyway, for those of you who have been wondering if/when things will get done this is for you. I wish I could tell you something more concrete, but it will really vary on the month. For this month at least I will start on my re-write and add another chapter to Midas. But other than that, all I can tell you is to keep an eye out!

Thank you for your time.

-With Luffles, Aureux


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